| Turks and Caicos scuba diving, snorkeling, and hotel packages. |
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Turks & Caicos time:
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Diving Guide to the Turks and CaicosWithin the scuba diving community, the Turks and Caicos Islands are ranked among the top ten diving destinations in the world. Around here, we think that our diver's paradise is number one, but to each his own. Visitors to Trip Advisor agrees see what they had to say here.What no one disputes is that the Turks and Caicos are blessed with a truly remarkable environment. The islands are surrounded by spectacular coral reefs and sea walls. Underwater visibility in the Turks & Caicos Islands exceeds 100 feet during most of the year. The warm, pristine waters serve as home to an extraordinary underwater ecosystem, featuring giant sea turtles, eagle rays, sharks, barracuda, African pompano, dolphins, and even migrating Humpback whales.  At Ocean Vibes, we possess the local knowledge to make each and every dive an experience to remember. We specialize in wall dives, and we'll show you sights that will leave you awe-struck. Our favorite dive locations are Grace Bay, Pine Cay, North West Point, West Caicos, French Cay, and, occasionally, North Caicos and West Sand Spit.Grace Bay Travel time: 5-15 minutes. Grace Bay is considered a mini-wall. Its deep spur and groove coral formations, running perpendicular to the wall, drop from 30 feet to the sandy bottom below at a depth of 100-120 feet. Grace Bay is a great area for beginners and divers who haven't done a dive in a while and wants to take it nice and slow. In the summer months, the bay becomes the underwater equivalent of a maternity ward for pregnant female Reef Sharks. Instinct tells them to seek warmer waters to speed up the gestation process. The warm, shallow sanctuary of Grace Bay is the perfect place for the females to hang out. This area is also an excellent location for macro photography and night dives. Popular dive sites in Grace Bay include Pinnacles, Pirhana Cove, Cathedral, Aquarium, Graceland, Grouper Hole, Coral Gables, and Crocodile. Pine Cay Travel time: 20-35 minutes. Pine Cay is a sea mount that rises up from the inky depths to within 45 feet of the surface. The mount boasts exaggerated spur and groove coral formations, indicative of the strong underwater currents that have sculpted its protruding peaks. Diving conditions here are best at slack high or incoming tide, but can be a slight challenge for an inexperienced diver when the tide is going out, especially around a full or new moon. Currents in Pine Cay, unlike in most top-ranked dive locales in the world, are generally insignificant. However, the approach of adverse weather can sometimes alter that situation. Fortunately for our guests, our knowledge of local weather patterns enables us to anticipate conditions, both on the surface and underwater, and to select the most appropriate dive destinations. North West Point Travel time: 20-40 minutes. Our divers have voted North West Point as their favorite dive location in the Caicos Islands. With its amazing walls, reefs, swim-thrus, caverns, and cages, the North West Point gives divers something new to see every time they enter the water. Each dive is an encounter with nature at its most incredible. We never quite know what we are going to see. One thing for sure is that you will be blown away. The reef top rests about 40 feet below the surface. The edge is around 45 feet. The dropoff starts at a little more than 100 feet below and then plunges straight down to 7000 feet. Some sites go from 45 feet directly into the abyss. Favorite dive spots include Thunderdome, Chimney, The Crack, Amphitheater, Eel Garden, Hole in da Wall, Shark Hotel, and Wayne's all-time favorite, Black Coral Forest. If conditions are right, we do our surface intervals at the beautiful Malcolm Beach or just around the corner at the picturesque limestone shoreline. Great photo opportunities abound both on the surface interval and underwater. West Caicos Travel time: 40-75 minutes.  The Wild, Wild, West of dive spots. No cowboys, no horses, no guns or knives, just wild walls and a dazzling array of marine life. Perched on the extreme southwestern edge of the Caicos banks and bordered by the Caicos Passage, West Caicos is truly the land of the giants. We can't guarantee it, but the odds are generally in your favor that you'll see something awesome. (Some of the best sites are actually situated between North West Point and West Caicos, smack dab in the middle of the channel, but are prone to poor visibility and strong currents in falling tides.) Popular locations in West Caicos include Tons of Sponge, Sanborn, Razor's Edge, Land of the Giants, and Gorgonian Forest. Along the west side of West Caicos is Highway to Heaven, Gulley, White Face (the anchor), Boat Cove, Magic Mushroom (not what you're thinking), and Elephant Ear Canyon. A camera is definitely recommended.South West Reef Travel time: 40-75 minutes. The South West Reef extends for 1.5 miles on the east side of West Caicos. Currents can be strong here, so it's important to take weather conditions and tides into account before embarking on a dive. When conditions are right, however, South West Reef has a lot to offer. The reef wall is very steep and begins at least 50 feet below the surface. The wall provides an ideal home for huge barrel sponges and deep-water sea fans. It's also a favorite haunt of eagle rays and sharks. Sandborn Channel Travel time: 30-40 minutes. Sandborn channel offers more variety than any of our other dive locations around Providenciales. It's a maze of sand channels, sand patches, scattered Coral heads, myriads of fish, huge volkswagen bug sized, barrel sponges, plethoras of plate coral and too many exotic species of corals to mention. It is an area where Eagle Rays Soar, Sting Rays bury themselves in the sand watching the magical underwater world of Atlantis go by, Turtles and mantas Roam and Hammerhead is king of the underwater jungle. During the winter months there are also lots of Atlantic Humpback Whale sightings in the channel and rare species like Blue Sharks and Gisnt Rainbow and Midnight parrot fish swoop in for a close up. Words cannot describe it, photos don't do it justice and videos just lie about it, even in High Definition. The Channel is our secret weapon but unfortunately due to its location and openness to the offshore waves it can only be done when the tides are right. Simply put, it is not a dive location that can be done on just any day. There are three letters which seem to work well when divers re-surface after diving the channel; WOW!! French Cay Travel time: 45-85 minutes. Don't worry. English is the only language here and there's no shopping. French Cay, like West Caicos, is a tiny cay perched at the southern edge of the Caicos Banks. It can claim the most sheer walls in the area, with depths starting around 50 feet and plummeting down to 7000 feet. French Cay is considered advanced diving territory. We do not recommend taking first timers or novices to this wall as they get too excited, use up their air rapidly, and have to go back to the boat early. What they miss is spectacular. Eagle rays are seen here on almost every dive, as well as reef sharks and occasional hammerheads and whale sharks. Migrating Humpback whales pass fairly close to French Cay on their journey to the Silver Banks between January and March. They can sometimes be seen on dives at French Cay. Even if you aren't lucky enough to catch a Humpback sighting, you may very well hear them sing underwater and glimpse them on the surface between dives. Do not go to French Cay without a camera. You will regret it. Ask Wayne. Use our online reservation system to book your dive tour now. |
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| Ocean Vibes Scuba & Watersports, PO Box 584, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, BWI | ||
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| Toll-Free: 1-866-450-DIVE (3483) | Local Tel: (649) 331-1104 or (649) 231-6636 | ||
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| Site Map | © 2001 - 2012 Ocean Vibes | Web Site by Web Crafter |
